June 25, 2006

England 1, Ecuador 0: David Beckham provided all the offense England needed with a patented swerving free kick in the 60th minute, then threw up moments later due to dehydration caused by the extreme humidity in Stuttgart. England almost never loses games like this in the World Cup, and they did just enough to win today. None of the athleticism Ecuador showed in their first two games was evident here. In spite of the fact that Beckham has never really come up big in the World Cup, he is now the only English player in history to score in three different Cups. All in all, a morning yawner.